Information for STADEN/bionet.software.staden USENET name: bionet.software.staden Mailing list name: STADEN e-mail address: staden@net.bio.net Discussion leader: Tim Littlejohn Newsgroup character: Bionet.software.staden is a forum for information exchange and discussions for the community of scientists using the Staden Package for molecular sequence analysis. Functions of the newsgroup: The newsgroup will serve as a communication forum for users of the Staden Package for molecular sequence analysis. The package covers most sequence analysis applications including DNA assembly, DNA analysis, protein sequence analysis, sequence comparisons, library handling and searching. The assembly program can handle input from ABI 373A, LI-COR, Pharmacia A.L.F. and Amersham International BaseScanner instruments, plus digitizers. The package runs on a large number of hardware/operating system platforms and is available for a nominal fee. The newsgroup has the following specific objectives: 1. to serve as a communication medium for announcing modifications to the package; 2. to be a "self help" group, where users with problems can gain from the experience of the rest of the user-community (and thereby reduce the pressures of the developers to provide support). The newsgroup will provide a forum for answers to frequently asked questions concerning the package; 3. to exchange ideas and practical advice about getting the most from all components of the package, from sequence assembly through to analysis; 4. to promote the continued growth and enhancement of the package. Subscribers are welcome from universities or any academic institutions, government agencies, hospitals and other medical institutions, and industrial or commercial organizations. Contributions within the functions outlined above are encouraged. The newsgroup is unmoderated, and I am willing to act as current coordinator. Tim Littlejohn Assistant Director (Informatics), Organelle Genome Megasequencing Program, Departement de biochimie, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal (Quebec), H3C 3J7